Seattle cascadia earthquake

Charles Woodman , Patch Staff. Replies 5. Find out what's happening in Seattle with free, real-time updates from Patch. Let's go! In the Seattle region, Harbor Island will be hit the hardest with about 3. Other places that would be inundated with water include: Bellingham: The following image shows predicted water speeds near Vashon Island: Washington State Department of Natural Resources 'The Big One' off the coast is not the only quake that could cause a tsunami in the Puget Sound region — researchers are also looking at how the smaller-but-closer Seattle and Tacoma faults might cause waves.

Here's the modeled inundation for the Tacoma-area from a Seattle Fault Tsunami: Washington State Department of Natural Resources Inundation from the Tacoma Fault or a Tacoma-Rosedale Fault tsunami would be less severe, though the property damage would be significantly higher as the fault is centered just north of Tacoma.

Related: Environment and Climate Change. Thank 2 Reply 5 Share. The rules of replying: Be respectful. This is a space for friendly local discussions. Virtual Legislative Tours. Jobs Start a Career Internships. Search form Search. News Date:. April 27, Read this page. The new modeling uses a simulated magnitude 9 earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone. No part of the Puget Sound shoreline would be unaffected. The tsunami would first arrive as a trough, with sea levels gradually receding in all inner coastal waterway locations, then rapidly rising as torrents of seawater come roaring into Puget Sound from the Pacific Ocean.

The first tsunami waves would reach Whidbey Island within one hour and 30 minutes after the earthquake, and strike more inland locations of Puget Sound some two to four hours after. The devastating effect could be worsened by local tsunamis triggered by earthquake-induced landslides, with local crustal faults potentially posing a larger threat for some communities.

Wave activity is likely to inundate shorelines for about 14 hours, with strong currents remaining in inland waters for more than 24 hours, the study found. The new DNR study was conducted to help develop preparation and response plans for those in the most heavily populated areas that a Cascadia earthquake and tsunami would affect. Florida Gov.